Today we arrived in Dallas, TX (at the PBT headquarters) for Pioneer Mission Instute (PMI). It’s a week long intensive training that PBT puts on every year. There are two main sets of classes that happen during the day – PMI 1 and PMI 2. PMI 1 is for discovering what PBT is about and how you can be involved. PMI 2 is for preparation for people who are definitely interested in joining PBT or, as in our case, are already recruits.

In addition to the classes, there are main sessions every evening where everyone gets together for a time of praise and worship and for a presentation from each branch of PBT. There are many PBT missionaries who come to Dallas for this week to teach classes, so it’s also a great opportunity to meet people and build relationships. Actually, that’s pretty much what it’s all about.

We went to PMI 1 last year (on our honeymoon, actually), and are back this year for PMI 2. The classes we’ll be taking this week are:

• Translation & the Great Comission
• Transitions: What to do with them?
• Learning to live as good, rich neighbors
• Spiritual Disciplines
• Worldview & dealing with the unseen
• Intro to PBT’s System of Financial Accountability
• Physical Preparation for the Field
• PBT Computer Resources
• Sexuality & God’s Gifts: Celibacy, Marriage, & Family
• Mental Preparation for the Field
• Intro to PBT’s Missionary Care Program
• Translation, Literacy, & Scripture in Use Strategy in Ministry
• Partnership Development (3 parts taking and entire day)

If that seems like a lot, it is! We’ll be in classes five hours a day for the next five days, not including the main sessions and the other extra meetings that we are involved in. We’ll start posting photos soon, but in the meantime, here’s PBT’s PMI promo video: